Former Panmanian dictator to appear in US court

Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, to be released from a US prison in September, was due in court in Florida today for a hearing on an extradition request from France.

Noriega, 72, is to leave a Miami prison on September 9 after serving 15 years for drug trafficking and racketeering. He wants to fly immediately to Panama to fight a conviction in the killings of two political opponents, his lawyers have said.